The primary focus of the Albany Democrat-Herald is current news, local and world wide. This includes but is not limited to tragedy and world issues. There are a lot of local issues and events throughout the printed newspaper. The organization is pretty clean; everything is boxed off and has its own space. I can find that the amount of stories that are pushed in can be distracting, regardless of the organization of them. I have found that most of the stories are kept fairly short. This makes it more comfortable for me. I get the main points and move on. There are a good amount of pictures that are in color. When i turn from page to page, there are quite a few ads that linger on the bottom, like they are the water keeping the newspaper afloat. In reality, I suppose that is true. As I work my way to the online version of the Albany Democrat-Herald, I find that there are a lot of the same exact stories. I believe that the focus of the online versions is to fit the needs of the reader more accurately. There are links that will take you to what you are specifically looking for. I think that if a person is only interested in certain topics, then this version would be the way to go. It makes it very fast and convenient.
I think that the Albany Democrat-Herald will always be one of the most popular newspapers whether it be in print or online. It has built a name for itself and a reputation. Even from the creation of it in 1859 (time line). I see that the most important front page manner of this newspaper is local tragedy. This is something that always catches peoples attentions. We as people want to know what has happened in our community. A couple of the greatest strengths of the printed copy is the ability to move which the online version has more trouble with. I see so many people in coffee shops, restaurants, and offices reading their physical copy of the newspaper, I was less likely to see people with their laptops. As well as the ad space that just doesn't seem to be dwelling in the online version. I think that some shortcomings would be the efficiency and paper waste. It's so much quicker to jump online and get what you want instead of searching through the whole paper, and the online version saves paper...but takes more energy.
So many different people read the newspaper. I know that a lot of people may believe that just older people are prone to get it everyday, but that is just not true. I believe that many more young people are starting to get involved and read more about local and world wide news. They are wanting to be informed. The only difference is the younger readers are more into the online versions, where as the older generations may not be as technologically advanced.
I would definitely prefer a physical copy of any newspaper. I personally do not read the newspaper a whole lot, but i know people who do and they agree with me. There is just something about holding it in your hands and being able to take it with you. I do believe that both versions serve their purpose well, because there is a demand for both. Most older people want it printed, while the younger generation is moving online. I found it interesting that the Albany Democrat-Herald actually had a facebook as well. This is really reaching out to the younger crowd. I, however do not really read any newspapers, but I have learned that there is an important aspect to each version of a newspaper, whether it be printed or online.
